【Reading】おきまり

【English Name】Okimari/ Set menu / Standard

"Okimari" is a term referring, at a sushi restaurant, to a set of nigiri in a fixed course form whose composition is decided in advance by the restaurant. In contrast to "okonomi," in which the customer orders one piece at a time according to preference, it is characterized by having its contents and order predetermined.

Many sushi restaurants prepare "okimari" in grades such as matsu, take, and ume (pine, bamboo, plum), with differences in price range and kinds of toppings. It is considered an easy-to-use ordering method when visiting a restaurant for the first time or when one is unsure what to order.

At traditional Edomae sushi restaurants, the general composition starts with light toppings such as white fish and silver-skinned fish (hikarimono), progresses to richer-tasting ones such as lean tuna and fatty tuna (toro), and closes with rolls or egg (tamago) at the end. Because the artisan assembles it by weaving in seasonal toppings, the contents often reflect that day's procurement situation.

Since the spread of conveyor-belt sushi, ordering by "okonomi" has become mainstream, but at counter-based sushi restaurants "okimari" still remains the basic ordering form. It is sometimes confused with "omakase," but whereas omakase is a form left entirely to the artisan's discretion, okimari differs in that its contents are fixed in advance.